Configuration Management with Bcfg2

Book Description

Configuration is the medium in which system administrators work. Ranging from the most sweeping decisions to minor troubleshooting of software problems, the act of helping people use computers necessitates a stream of decisions that result in the configuration and software infrastructures that each of us uses on a daily basis. Configuration management is a process whereby administrator interactions with configuration are streamlined and simplified. As the scale of infrastructures grows and the complexity of software systems increases, the cost of system administration rises rapidly. Automation techniques, such as configuration management, can reduce these costs by streamlining common tasks. Automation also implements rigorous processes; automated processes are usually performed more consistently than manual ones. The authors' intention is to enable you to understand the basics of configuration management and how to use Bcfg2 to achieve common configuration goals. With this booklet, you will be able both to design appropriate configuration processes and policies for your site and to analyze configuration processes to assess their effectiveness.